When light and darkness entwine
by Niahara Erskine
Summary: We are defined by the choices we make. Every decision creates a multitude of smaller paths that lead us into the unknown. Bilbo Baggins can see more than most; he can see every path that winds at his feet and only he can make the right choice. But where will it lead him? ( set in my Only time will tell universe )
1. In dreams I follow you

**A/N This is the first in the series of oneshots and short stories that I plan on writing based on "Only time will tell". Most of them, if not all will be AU in regards to the soon to come sequel, but since "Only time will tell" is based on divergence of paths you can consider these ones as being different choices taken. There will also be some pre-"Only time will tell" oneshots around here and maybe even some missing scenes - like the troll scene or the "what do we do with a huge dragon corpse in the middle of our Great Hall scene" - that will take place during "Only time will tell." They will be in random order, each with its own summary depending on where my muse takes me XD I'm looking forward to seeing what you think about them.**

**Disclaimera: Don't own anything!**

**Overall warnings: may be hints of Thorin/Bilbo, Dwalin/Ori, Dwalin/Nori, Bofur/Nori, but that depends on how you read them honestly. Most of them can be seen as strong friendships ( which is what they are intended to be in most chapters, but not all). Also there will be mentions of character death, blood, gore, violence, war, medical procedures etc.**

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_**"It does not come as a surprise to him that he can follow Frodo in his dreams; after all a bond as strong as the one between him and his adopted child cannot be easily broken, not even by time or the many miles that separate them. Part I/III"**_

**Part I: In dreams I follow you**

He followed Frodo in his dreams every step of the way. Whereas in the past his dreams had been a hindrance, now he welcomed them with open arms because it was the only way in which he knew how his precious nephew was doing. He walked the fields of Hollin with Frodo and saw Saruman's crebain as they scouted for signs of the Fellowship. Atop Cradhras he felt the cold bite of snow and shivered under his blankets as he watched Aragorn and Boromir make paths through the snow to lead the hobbits back to safety.

Then came Moria; the piercing darkness was stifling even in his dreams and the sense of dread was present in his soul as well. There was something waiting in the darkness, an evil preparing to show its face. It felt like Smaug, but even more powerful and older, much older. It was because of Moria that he woke up in the middle of the night, bitter tears streaming down his face as he held back choked sobs. A hand caressed his hair gently and a deep voice asked in the darkness of their room.

"Who?"

Such a plain, simple word that held so much meaning; that 'who' held in it years of friendship, of smiles and tears, a promise of an unexpected but welcomed adventure and a life that changed completely.

"Ori, Balin, Oin," he said shakily before recalling fire and shadow dragging a friend in the darkness. "And Gandalf..."

That day he called the remains of the Company to tell them what he had seen. He held Dori as he broke down and sobbed for his little brother and watched as Dwalin punched the wall repeatedly, his knuckledusters eventually shattering with the force of the hits. He placed a hand on Nori's shoulder and his soul crumbled when he saw the pure anguish in the Spymaster's eyes who forced himself to be strong for Dori. He listened to Gloin talk about his brother until the dwarf's voice was hoarse with pain and tears; he let Gloin know that Gimli was alive and well and had avenged both his uncle and his kin in the depth of Moria where the orcs had ambushed the Fellowship.

Afterward he allowed himself to collapse in pain and cry his soul out. He cursed the Black Pit that had taken four dear friends and felt himself shatter with each tear he shed until strong arms engulfed him and kept him close as he cried out his grief.

The Fellowship's arrival in Lothlórien the Fair gave him his first night of carefree sleep in a very long time. He saw the Lady of the Woods through Frodo's eyes and was mostly certain that she had sensed him as well. He woke with a smile on his face at the crack of dawn and whispered with a small laugh:

"Gimli is besotted with the Lady Galadriel. He is also becoming friends with Legolas Thranduilion."

An outraged sputter came from the warm body pressed into his side, but neither said anything else, merely used the opportunity to cuddle a while longer. Later that day the look of outrage on Gloin's face would lift the spirits of those who lost so much in Moria.

However, Lothlórien was soon left behind and the Fellowship pressed forward towards the falls of Rauros. Even in his dreams he felt the Ring whisper incessantly and knew that Boromir was falling under its power. The look in the Gondorian's eyes was the very look that had been in his eyes for years without end while he had been forced to endure the weight of the Ring and the whispers in the darkness. In his sleep, his hands sought pockets and precious trinkets that were no longer there. Other hands, bigger and calloused, stilled his movement and murmurs in Khuzdul lulled him back to security, yet the weight in his mind was still there, pressing, stifling...

He knew Boromir would succumb before the man long before the man realized that his mind was wrapped in darkness. He saw the man attack Frodo and froze when his nephew had to use the Ring to escape. He too saw the Eye in the shadow world calling, seeking, beckoning... When Frodo decided he would go alone he wanted to shout and tell him that it was folly, that he could not go alone, that he would not make it. It was fortunate that Samwise was a most stubborn hobbit and loyal to a fault.

Then the Uruk-Hai came, Boromir fell and his young Took and Brandybuck cousins were captured and his dreams took a turn for the worst.


	2. In slumber I see you

**A/N So, I've received questions regarding the timeline, Thorin's age and where the Company was at the moment of the last chapter. Since these are pretty much plot bunnies floating in space they can take place wherever and whenever you want them to be. My headcanon for these three chapters is something among these lines: place – Erebor ( Bilbo has been living there for many years now ), timeline ( messed up, the Council of Elrond takes place sooner, at roughly about the same time as the Unexpected Party so that makes it 60 years after BOFA ) which makes Thorin 255 years old. But, as I said you can imagine it in any way you want.**

**Disclaimera: Don't own anything!**

**Overall warnings: may be hints of Thorin/Bilbo, Dwalin/Ori, Dwalin/Nori, Bofur/Nori, but that depends on how you read them honestly. Most of them can be seen as strong friendships ( which is what they are intended to be in most chapters, but not all). Also there will be mentions of character death, blood, gore, violence, war, medical procedures etc.**

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_**"He never thought things could turn to worse so fast. One day the was happy in Erebor, the other his nephew was off to Mordor to destroy The Rings, his young cousins where captured by orcs and the Shadow was stretching its hand all the way to the Kingdom Under the Mountain. Part II/III"**_

**Chapter II: In slumber I see you**

The murmur of the Rauros waterfall soothes his nerves as if he was there, standing next to the river and not many hundreds of miles away, tucked in his bed and dreaming all that is coming to pass. Aragorn's voice rises in the air with a haunting quality, followed by the softer voice of Legolas who takes the second stanza of the song. On the river, a white elven boat carries the body of one who has fallen to defend his friends and comrades. Bilbo finds that he cannot condemn Boromir for falling under the Power of the Ring; hadn't he, a hobbit who was acquainted with the darkness of the Ring much better than anyone in the Company save, perhaps, the fallen Gandalf almost given in to its whispers and attacked Frodo? The Man of Gondor had died an honourable death trying to protect Bilbo's kin; it was more than enough to redeem himself.

In the beginning, when Bilbo's dreams first shifted and he found himself following the fates of his young Took and Brandybook cousins and not those of his adopted child, he was dismayed. In the beginning he thought he would see only flashes of the other members of the Company before the dreams turned back to Frodo. But it was not so; after Boromir's funeral the aim of his dreams was directed precisely towards Merry and Pippin.

Part of him, even in slumber, is raging against this fact, but the bigger part is relieved because in this way he will know whatever fate will befall them. Frodo is as safe as he can be and he has Sam with him; however Merry and Pippin are in the hands of orcs bearing the White Hand of Saruman, heading towards Isengard.

He hopes as he had never hoped before in his entire life... he hopes that they will not be maimed and tortured by orcs... he hopes that Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli will find them... he hopes that they will not fall in Saruman's hands who will surely kill them once he finds out they do not have what he seeks. He hopes and prays as he had never prayed before. And so days pass...

The sun and the morning hold no appeal for him anymore. He goes through each day with numbness in his soul, eagerly waiting for the darkness that brings him either more dread or an ounce of comfort. When at last horns sound in his dreams and the stomping of hooves takes the orcs by surprise, he finally allows himself to think they have a chance. Merry and Pippin had always made a formidable team that kept the entire Shire on the edge, so when they manage to outwit the orcs, Bilbo feels immensely proud of them.

However, the huge LIVING tree that captures them startles Bilbo so bad that he wakes up. Apparently the old Shire stories had an ounce of truth hidden in them.

Things get even more strange as the nights pass by; Gandalf turns out to be not only alive, but also the new Head of his Order, the ents march to war against Isengard and the men of Rohan appear on the steps of Isengard after having defeated Saruman's army. Bilbo is pleased to see that Aragorn and Legolas are alive and even gladder to see the deep friendship that blossomed between the son of Thranduil and Gimli.

Of course, Gloin is none too happy to hear of it...

However, Took curiosity had always been a downfall in their family and when Pippin steals the Seeing Stone from Gandalf the Great Eye does not press only in his young cousin's mind, but also in his. Sauron's presence is strong and unwavering, crushing his mind with its power and bringing back whispers that had been laid to rest when the Ring had been passed to Frodo. His fingers fidget under the covers and visions long forgotten flash before his closed eyelids. He sees more than he had even seen in his life, the past and the future, but when the presence disappears from his mind, so does the memory of the visions.

He wakes up, tears marring his cheeks and a sense of foreboding in his soul. The Shadow is coming and none can escape it...


	3. In waking I join you

**A/N Soooo, here's the part where you follow me around with pitchforks in order to kill me XD You got your happy ending in "Only time will tell" so here's a fair warning this ending is angsty, dark and contains character death. Consider yourselves warned! Also, the timeline of the last days of the Third Age is a bit messed up, but I needed it in this way for the story.**

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**Part III: In waking I join you**

He sees huge, monstrous eyes in the darkness, glittering with malice. He hears the click-clack of claws in the shadows and knows exactly what Frodo is facing in the tunnel that is supposed to lead to Mordor. Bilbo knows Gollum has betrayed his "master" and he watches helplessly as the huge spider – much, much bigger than the ones in Mirkwood – stings his nephew and poisons him.

After Sam wounds the spider and chases it away, Bilbo wants to scream at the young gardener, to shake him and tell him that Frodo is not dead, that these monsters prefer their prey fresh before they eat it. He cries out in his sleep, begging Sam not to go, but of course, the brave hobbit cannot hear anything and with tears in his eyes he takes the Ring and leaves his master behind. With a lurch Bilbo wakes up and tears stream down his cheeks.

"Frodo," he whispers brokenly in the darkness of his room. "It's all my fault..."

Days pass and night come, but the dreams do not return. Part of him fears there is no one left to dream about, but he does not voice the thought aloud. They are all tense knowing that an army is marching towards Erebor. Easterlings and orcs are all set to attack Dale and The Kingdom Under the Mountain. The Shadow is stretching farther and farther, trying to rule all Middle Earth.

But no one is going to give up that easily...

The first attack is vicious and leaves Dale ablaze. The beautiful city is in ruins once more and the women and children seek refuge in Erebor. The men all regroup and, aided by Erebor's army, face the Easterlings in order to reclaim their home. The Battle of Dale ends in tears for everyone; their dead had not been this many since the Battle of Five Armies. King Bard is lost that day along with Dain Ironfoot, Thorin's cousin who remained behind to protect his body from being hacked before the city gates.

Nori too falls in that battle, taking a spear to the chest that was meant for Dwalin. The Head of the Guards fights with unparalleled fury and takes down a large portion of the enemy army in order to avenge his sometimes friends, sometimes enemy.

The Company is missing most of its members now. Balin, Ori and Oin had all falled in Moria. Nori and Bifur fell in the Battle of Dale, the second fighting to protect his cousin who had been injured gravely. The same battle rendered Dori comatose when a poisoned blade struck him down. The healers announced gravely that he would never wake up again.

The remaining members all are wounded in some way. Kili's torso is all bandaged up tightly after a mace broke half of his ribs. Fili's leg was almost cut off; the healers managed to save the limb in the last moment, but infection had settled in and the Heir Under the Mountain is delirious with fever in the healing ward. Thorin's body is like a jigsaw puzzle as a result of all the wounds he sustained during the battle. As for Bilbo, regardless of the fact that everyone tried to keep him away from the fight, his mind would not be swayed; he chose a small, light sword from the armoury and, like many years before, fought alongside the Heirs of Durin.

Now, as he lays in the healing tents, half delirious with fever, with his chest almost slashed open, pale due to blood loss and with eyes shadowed by pain and fever, he figures he will not live to see the next day. Regardless of that fact, he does not regret a single thing. Thorin's fingers tread through the hobbit's hair gently, remaking a braid worn for entire decades, a braid that spoke of home, family and a life far away from the Shire, yet full of happiness and a sense of belonging.

Bilbo's eyes start closing, his eyelids too heavy to keep them open anymore. With a sigh he murmurs his last words to Thorin and smiles when he hears the Khuzdul song for those who are departing this word following him in the darkness.

Before he slips into the Halls of Mandon and knows no more, he sees his nephew and his gardener in the heart of Mount Doom looking at a plain, gold ring melting in the lava.

All will be well...


End file.
